Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what transitional arrangements are in place for claimants whose health deteriorates when in receipt of jobseeker's allowance if their claim is stopped and they are advised to claim employment support allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: Since August 2017 we have been focussing on more proactive case management to reduce delays and speed up the clearance of mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payment. A similar exercise for mandatory reconsiderations for employment and support allowance has started, looking at the entire journey from when the customer first challenges the Department’s decision, from which we expect to be able to identify opportunities to reduce delays in the current process and speed up clearance of mandatory reconsiderations. The median monthly clearance time for employment and support allowance mandatory reconsiderations in July 2017 was 13 days, 1 day less than in April 2017. However it is important that sufficient time is allowed for customers to provide any additional evidence that will help to support their case. Accordingly there is no target time for clearing mandatory reconsiderations – each is done without delay, but based on its merits.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made in reducing the time taken to process mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payments and employment and support allowance; and at what level the target is set for the time taken to process such reconsiderations.

Penny Mordaunt: Since August 2017 we have been focussing on more proactive case management to reduce delays and speed up the clearance of mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payment. A similar exercise for mandatory reconsiderations for employment and support allowance has started, looking at the entire journey from when the customer first challenges the Department’s decision, from which we expect to be able to identify opportunities to reduce delays in the current process and speed up clearance of mandatory reconsiderations. The median monthly clearance time for employment and support allowance mandatory reconsiderations in July 2017 was 13 days, 1 day less than in April 2017. However it is important that sufficient time is allowed for customers to provide any additional evidence that will help to support their case. Accordingly there is no target time for clearing mandatory reconsiderations – each is done without delay, but based on its merits.

Cabinet Office

Joint Ministerial Committee

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and which meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee and its sub-committees at both (a) Ministerial and (b) official level have been convened to discuss the UK leaving the EU in which the Welsh Government has been involved since the referendum on the UK leaving the EU, in June 2016.

Damian Green: Meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee and its sub-committees have taken place on the following dates since June 2016:(a) JMC(EU Negotiations) met 9 November 2016, 7 December 2016, 19 January 2017 and 8 February 2017. We anticipate the next meeting of JMC(EN) will take place in the autumn. The UK’s exit from the EU was also discussed at sessions of JMC (Plenary) on 24 October 2016 and 30 January 2017.(b) JMC(EU Negotiations) Officials meetings took place on 16 September 2016, 25 October 2016, 7 November 2016, 17 November 2016, 28 November 2016, 12 December 2016 and 21 December 2016 and on 10 January 2017, 17 January 2017, 31 January 2017, 6 February 2017 and 15 February 2017. Meetings of JMC Officials took place on 27 September 2016, 10 October 2016, 17 October 2016, 21 October 2016 and 25 November 2016 and on 6 January 2017 and 23 January 2017. The next meeting of JMC Officials is scheduled for 8 September 2017.JMC(Europe) and JMC (Europe) Officials have continued to meet during this period to discuss business as usual.In addition, officials from all administrations meet regularly in a variety of other formats.